The Solution to All Our Problems
by SharkAria
Summary: The Wolfbats' season-long suspension is almost over, but after the cheating scandal they can't attract their sponsors, their fans, or the media. Tahno cooks up a plan to get them all back, dragging the Avatar into his game. Turns out she isn't so easily manipulated. Post-Book II. Tahnorra. CH 5: Korra has more fun with Tahno than she expected.
1. Chapter 1

The Solution to All Our Problems

By SharkAria

A/N: Maybe a little contrived, but I hope you like it.

Narook collapsed the top of the outspread newspaper with one stiff hand, chopping the pulpy screen that obscured Tahno's face. "More tea?" he inquired gruffly.

Tahno jerked back, affronted at first, then relaxed as he saw it was only his friend and patron. Nevertheless, he shook out his paper in a show of faux irritation. "I suppose. Then bring me the check." Tahno wasn't much of one for intrusion into his personal space - well, not unless the intruder was a pretty fan of his - but for Narook he made an exception. The exception was easier to make since Narook had been letting him slide with the bill for the last couple meals.

"Would that be for the last two months of your tab, or just this one?" Narook questioned. Perhaps "a couple meals" undersold the generosity of his host. Nevertheless, Tahno didn't enjoy such brusqueness in the establishment where he'd spent plenty of money over the years.

"Just today's tally," Tahno replied with asperity. "My suspension ends next week. I'll be rolling in prize money and sponsorships before you know it." Tahno took a sip from his teacup and hoped he was right about that.

Narook whistled as he poured a fresh cup for Tahno, then set down the small refilled teapot. "A whole season out of the arena is a long time for a pro-bender. You sure anybody's gonna root for the Wolfbats anymore?"

"We won the championship titles three years in a row. Nobody's forgotten about us."

"Heh. They'll remember you all right. They'll remember that you cheated to take down the Avatar, who saved the whole world last month." Narook slapped the check on the table and slumped back toward the bar.

"They loved us before, they'll love us again," Tahno replied with more confidence than he felt. "And even if they hate us, which they won't, they'll still be watching. That's what the sponsors want."

"And just how many of those have you lined up?"

Tahno yelped in surprise as he burned his tongue on the hot liquid. He spat it out indelicately and quickly glanced around to see if any other patrons had witnessed his embarrassing moment. Satisfied that none had noticed, he wiped his chin and shirt collar with as much dignity as he could muster. "Still working on that part," he mumbled. "You're welcome to sign up like back in the good days, you know."

Narook made a sort of barking guffaw. "Between ratting out the gamblers in my back room and holding your tab open here, you've cost me enough money. Think I'll watch this season from the sidelines."

"If it wasn't me, somebody else would have told them. I just used my knowledge to my advantage. And yours. You're welcome for my help in keeping you out of jail, by the way," Tahno growled. He didn't like being reminded about that. His mood soured quickly, thinking back to the weeks after Amon had stolen his bending. He'd holed up in his flat feeling sorry for himself for a while, until his rent was due and he had to face the world or be kicked to the curb. Ultimately, he'd made ends meet by snitching to the police about the illegal gambling rings throughout the city, and he had continued doing so even after the Avatar had returned his bending. The city advisory council had barred him and his teammates from the arena for the season, since they evidently thought that temporarily losing his lifeblood and passion wasn't punishment enough for his cheating; he had needed to make ends meet somehow while he waited out the sentence. The money the cops had paid him hadn't been half of what he made actually fixing the games for the triads, but it had been enough to last through most of his suspension. As a result of Tahno's betrayal of his former associates, most of the referees in the arena had been replaced with a bunch of straightlaced tightwads, and quite a few of the street level thugs had been thrown in jail. The gambling rings hadn't gone away, of course, but their meeting locations had changed and the chain of command had been shaken up a bit. Narook was one of the few people who knew of Tahno's arrangement with law enforcement, having been tipped off by an certain eyeliner-wearing customer that he might wish to divest himself of his investment in a certain less-than-savory enterprise before the cops got wind of it.

Tahno watched the steam swirling up from the surface, remembering the fable of Fire Nation spies revealing their secret identities in the Earth Kingdom by heating up their cold tea. A shiver ran down his spine and he gave thanks to whatever swamp spirit kept the triads in the dark about his snitching.

Narook's eyes softened a touch. He tapped his finger on the counter. "Welp, s'pose you're right. Cops were cracking down anyway. Need to diversify to stay afloat."

"Backroom card games and booze and noodles are staples, but you could use a few more income sources."

Narook sighed almost wistfully. If Tahno hadn't known him so well or been so observant he wouldn't have even have noticed. "I miss the good old days when your team stopped by. Gave the place a festive air."

"Never would have pegged you for the sentimental sort."

"Isn't anything like that. Whenever the Wolfbats showed up, the bar got three times the business with no extra effort from me," Narook harrumped. He held a glass to the light, ostensibly checking for water spots.

"Ah yes. Whatever pays the bills," Tahno sighed.

"That's right. Speaking of which, when you're back in the money I hope you'll be paying that bill off first," Narook jerked his chin toward the paper and began wiping down the counter with more concentration and vigor than the job warranted.

Tahno had a snappy comeback on the tip of his tongue, but held back. No need to bite the hand that was literally feeding him, he thought. And he hated to admit it, but he feared that Narook was right about his prospects in the arena. His team would be allowed back in the tournament, but at every match they won, the audience would wonder if it was because they were skilled or because they were bribing the refs again. So far, his team had failed to attract any of the top sponsors that had once clamored to pay their way. In fact, they had barely managed to cobble together the funds to compete this season. And if the Wolfbats lost after all that work just to get back in the game, well, what was the point? Tahno had to find a way to get the sponsors back on board, and do to that, he needed to rebuild the trust of the fan base again. Without major support, and soon, he'd be back on a ferry to Foggy Swamp before he could say "catgator."

Tahno furrowed his brows in consternation. He glanced at a story in the paper that had caught his eye earlier. It included a picture of the Avatar standing at the spirit portal, a goofy grin on her face as a flamingokeet spirit perched on her shoulder. "Avatar Leads Dual World Summit at South Pole, Envisions Spiritual Reconciliation," the headline read. The rest of the page was awash in anecdotes about the Avatar's activities and schedule. It was a wonder there was anybody left in town to print and distribute the papers, so many reporters had been dispatched to follow her around the globe. The ink manufacturers should send her flowers in thanks for all the money they were making from the countless gallons the papers were using to print stories of her, Tahno thought grumpily. Sure, he was glad that she had saved the world from being destroyed in an apocalyptic typhoon of darkness and all, but he could have done without her constantly hogging all the papers' front page real estate.

And if the legitimate news outlets were bad, the tabloids were even worse. All week they'd been running teaser headlines like "Avatar Korra and Officer Mako: Still on Fire or All Burnt Out?" and "Our Avatar - Singlebending Again". Tahno wished he could say that he didn't care about what the gossipmongers were saying, but he was jealous of the way the Avatar got the spotlight all to herself. Back in the good days, those same papers breathlessly reported every last snippet of information they could glean about Tahno and his crew. Republic Weekly once even annointed Tahno as "Republic City's Most Eligible Waterbender." Tahno had heard that the title had sent Councilman Tarrlok into a snit for weeks because he didn't get the designation himself. But those days were long gone - now Tahno's face was nowhere to be seen amongst the pages. The rags were all too busy fueling rumors about the Avatar's love life. Between the periodicals and the scandal sheets, there hadn't been more than a couple inches of column space devoted to the upcoming pro-bending season all week. How inconvenient.

If only the Avatar would come back to the arena, he thought. Those damn journalists would be clambering all over one another to cover her triumphant return to the sport. But even if she did, it wouldn't do much for him.

He took another sip of his beverage and looked more carefully at the Avatar's image. She seemed so uncomfortable there, playing the politician, although at least in this picture she looked a damn sight more competent than she had at all those press conferences during the since-squashed Equalist revolution. Although Tahno saw pictures like this all the time, he hadn't seen her in person since the day she'd returned his bending. Back then, she had still looked immature and uncertain of herself - even as she unblocked the chi of each fallen bender, she seemed shocked that she had managed to do so.

Tahno unconsciously set the water to swirling within his ceramic vessel, just thinking about that day. It had been humid and sunny, and he had lined up with his teammates and several of the police metalbenders amidst reporters chattering and flashbulbs popping. He hadn't had much time to talk to the Avatar. When his turn came to be healed, he kneeled down before her and whispered his thanks, a moment of sincerity that seemed to surprise her. She smiled at him, then pressed her thumb to to his forehead and her hand to his heart. There was a quick glow between the two of them, and suddenly it felt as if all of his senses had whiplashed into alertness, as if he could breathe deeper, see more clearly, hear more distinctly. He sensed the water churning in a nearby fountain, and on a whim he bent it out to do loop-de-loops around some of his shrieking fangirls who had gathered for the occasion. That oughta make for some good sound effects for the radio clips, he thought. He replaced the water in the fountain and bowed to the Avatar, who returned the gesture. As they were both coming up from the bow, he caught her eye and winked at her. Her cheeks reddened and she gave him a dirty look.

Then it was all over. It had been so quick, and he had felt so deliriously grateful, that he hadn't even thought to tease her with a joke about how he'd enjoyed having her hands on him, even in this context. It might have been worth it to see how she would have responded. On the other hand, maybe it wouldn't have been such a good idea. The press would have loved to put a picture of him getting slapped in the face by the Avatar on their front pages.

He tapped his finger against the Avatar's picture thoughtfully. Maybe there was a way to get the Avatar back in the arena, his name back in the papers, and his fans back in the bleachers.

"Narook, you've inspired me." Tahno folded his paper efficiently and shoved it under his arm. He slid out from the booth and dropped some coins on the table, leaving a decent tip.

"How's that?" Narook called from behind the bar.

"I've seen the error of my ways."

"I doubt that."

"What I mean is, I haven't been thinking creatively enough about the Wolfbats' return to pro-bending. But I believe I have a solution to all of our problems."

* * *

As the sun sunk below the horizon on Yue Bay, a humid breeze wafted in through the open window of the communal dining room at Air Temple Island. Dinners there were a simple but satisfying affair, and after a day spent training, the island residents were usually ready to tuck in and start chowing down. Holding the baby in one hand and a ladle in the other, Pema spooned broth out into Tenzin's bowl. The girls passed steamed rice while Meelo practiced stabbing his vegetables with his chopsticks. Tonight, however, Korra was distracted from her plate of food. She stared off into space, listening to the radio blaring from its post by the door.

"Will you please shut that off while we're eating?" Tenzin asked exasperatedly. "It's bad enough that you've been glued to that thing for the last half hour."

"Just a few more minutes!" Korra whined. "The press conference is almost over. I'll turn it off as soon as they are done interviewing the Fire Ferrets."

"But none of your friends even play for the team anymore." Tenzin smoothed his beard testily.

"Once a Fire Ferret, always a - hey, turn that up!" Korra exclaimed. Instead of waiting for somebody to comply with her demand, she lurched over the low table and cranked the volume knob of the radio. The announcer's exaggerated syllables rose above the din of the family dining.

"- now hearing from Tahno, team captain of the White Falls Wolfbats. As all you pro-bending fans know, his team was suspended last season after an investigation found them guilty of cheating during the championship match against the famous Fire Ferrets. But Tahno says he's here to tell us that he's a changed man. Tahno, how can the fans trust you now that you're back?"

"Those dumb Wolfbutts, I can't believe they still get to play after the way they cheated," Korra grunted. She stuffed a scoopful of vegetables into her mouth angrily.

"Korra! Watch your language," Pema chastised while she burped Rohan, sending a sharp glance toward her older boy. It was too late.

"Haha, you said 'butt'," Meelo snorted. He hopped up and grabbed the seat of his pants, wiggling his behind enthusiastically. "Butt, butt bu -"

"Quiet!" Pena commanded. Jinora and Ikki stifled giggles.

Tahno's voice oozed from the speaker over the commotion at the dining table: "I take complete responsibility for paying off the refs and encouraging my teammates to use illegal moves during the championship. I was under so much pressure to live up to the Wolfbats reputation, that I thought I had to do whatever it took to make sure I didn't let down my fans. Now I know that cheating hurt them more than losing ever could." His voice slightly cracked over the speaker. "I am just grateful and humbled to have the opportunity to bend again."

"Come on! Could he sound more fake?" Korra grumbled. "That guy will do anything to make headlines." She thought of the ridiculous performance he made when she returned his bending. What a show-off. And then that stupid wink he had given her...She gulped down a glass of cold water, hoping that no one noticed the sudden pink flush of her cheeks.

"I know that just saying I've learned my lesson isn't going to convince anyone, even though it's true. My fans deserve better. They need an impartial judge to vouch for my team. That's why I'm issuing a challenge to the team we last played against."

"You're asking for a rematch?"

"Indeed I am. I want to participate in an exhibition game with the original Fire Ferrets - that is, Avatar Korra and the bending brothers - to show that the Wolfbats are just as good as ever, especially when we play by the rules. And who could provide more honest testimony about the result of the game than the Avatar herself?"

All Air Temple eyes riveted onto Korra. Korra simply listened, too shocked to speak.

The announcer jumped in again. "Tahno, once again you've proven why you're the captain of your team. But your fans will want to know, what inspired your new attitude?"

"Actually, I have the Avatar to thank for that. Now that I've lived through the hell of losing my bending, and was fortunate enough to get it back, I truly understand what a gift I have. From her, learned that I had to change my ways and use my abilities for good. And providing good, clean bending fun for my fans to enjoy is what I do best."

Korra could swear she could hear him smirking sarcastically into the microphone.

"But the Avatar changed more than my attitude. She changed my heart. That day she gave me my bending back, I realized something else. I fell for her, hard."

The radio announcer gasped audibly into his microphone. "You mean -"

"That's right. The Avatar has won my heart. But I don't expect her to think any differently about me unless I can show her that I've changed too. So I want to say something to her directly now: Avatar Korra, if you accept my challenge for a rematch and the Wolfbats win, fair and square, I hope you'll let me take you out on a date."

The only sound in the Air Temple dining room was of six sets of chopsticks clattering onto the tabletop as they slipped from their disbelieving users' fingers.

* * *

The Avatar was back in all the papers again the next day. But now, self-assured pictures of Tahno accompanied every article.

* * *

Tahno lounged across the worn cushions of his couch, enjoying an evening of relaxation in his small apartment after a day of grueling practice. He knew he was still the best pro-bender that Republic City had ever seen, but he couldn't say the same thing about his teammates. Long hours of preparation were clearly in order. He stretched langorously, knowing that he would have to do it all over again tomorrow.

Tahno's gamble at the press conference had paid off a thousand fold, and he hadn't even gotten an answer from the Avatar yet. Within an hour of the radio broadcast, a Cabbage Corp exec had called, requesting to be the Wolfbat's primary sponsor, contingent upon the Avatar's acceptance of his challenge. He'd heard from half a dozen other companies as well, but none with as lucrative an offer as the manufacturing giant. None as cynical, either - the contract that the exec sent over had language requiring the Wolfbats to wear attire with the Corp logo during all photo shoots, interviews, and even practices, and Tahno was obligated to bring up his attraction to the Avatar at least once during every press availability.

Just as Tahno had hoped, the media was pivoting back to pro-bending, and to the Wolfbats' prospects in particular. Today's Times included a two-page spread in the sports section, profiling each teammate and publishing the odds for their taking the championship again. The Times, of course, was far too serious of a publication to do more than indirectly allude to Tahno's unusual challenge for the Avatar.

The Republic City Enquirer, however, had no such professional standards. In the locker room after their work out, Ming had handed him a copy of that newspaper and told Tahno to be sure to read the account of his "aching heart" on the inside cover. Feeling more than a little trepidation, Tahno pulled the paper out of the duffel bag at his feet and turned to the article:

Love is in the Arena: Avatar Korra Considers Tahno's Proposal

Once comely Avatar Korra got back on the dating scene, it was only a matter of time before eligible bachelors came calling. But this week's revelation from fallen champion pro-bender (and total hunk!) Tahno changes the game completely! Tahno, recently unlucky in life and in love, has come off a season-long suspension with the announcement that he is looking to change his fortune in both. With an invitation to the Avatar to go out with him if her team can't beat his, Tahno's putting his career and his love on the line.

A pro-bending insider told Enquirer reporters that Republic City's most famous hairbender has got it bad for our spiritual savior. "He's pined for her since the day she returned his bending. He can't stop thinking about when she placed her hand over his heart," spilled the tipster. Cue the awwww's! Sorry ladies, this guy's only got eyes for the Avatar!

Sources close to the Avatar say that after she was burned by her firebending ex, she vowed never to love again. But perhaps waterbending Tahno can unfreeze her icy heart. He says he's a changed man and he made the challenge to prove it. Now the only question is, will she accept his offer?

"She's got to take him up on it! Tahno bared his soul for a chance to be with his true love!" said an unnamed, starry-eyed female Wolfbat fan club member.

Others aren't so sure about his sincerity. "This is another publicity stunt. I just hope Avatar Korra doesn't get her heart broken by another jerk," said a jealous-looking fan who asked for anonymity.

Will these two share a love to rival that of Oma and Shu? Or will this pair remind us more of Raava and Vaatu? For now, we'll have to wait until the Avatar gives us her decision! Keep reading the Enquirer for exclusive updates! -RCE

Tahno tossed the paper away in embarrassment and rubbed his temples. He tried to console himself by reminding himself that this was all part of his greater plans. It also helped that he earned a small commission each time a paper printed a photo of him wearing the Cabbage Corp logo - and the picture accompanying this piece was enormous.

So far, the press was making all the moves he had expected of them, but it had been two days since he had made his public challenge, and the Avatar hadn't yet responded. He had thought that she would be so angry at his offer that she would insist on scheduling the match as soon as possible just to show that she could beat him, but he had miscalculated her response. The papers reported that her spiritual awakening had helped her mature; perhaps that included reining in her notorious temper. Unfortunately, if she didn't make a move soon, he would have to think of another way to keep the attention of the press.

The phone rang. The noise wrenched Tahno from his reverie. He reached over to grab the old fashioned unit from the end table and spoke into the mouthpiece. "Tahno speaking," he answered.

An angry feminine voice responded. "I don't know or care what your angle is, buddy, but I don't plan on being a pai sho piece in your games."

With an opener like that, Tahno couldn't feel very hopeful about his prospects. "It's a pleasure to hear from you, Avatar," he replied with a measured, practiced tone, already calculating mentally how to change the situation to his advantage.

"Whatever. You just want to know what I am going to do."

"I suppose that is accurate." He held his breath, waiting for her answer.

She didn't say anything. All he could hear was the static of the line and the blood rushing through his ears. He had miscalculated. This whole plan was for naught - he would lose his sponsorship and the Wolfbats wouldn't even get to compete. He could almost smell the dank swamp where he would have to move back.

Then he heard her sigh. "OK, pretty boy. One match so I can kick your ass back to amateur hour for good."

**A/N Pt II: Thought I would try writing Tahno a little differently than in my other Tahnorra story, which is somewhat *ahem* less complex (is that an appropriate way to describe something close to PWP?) This will stick to a T rating and I hope to get the remainder fairly quickly. Thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed this chapter and subsequent ones.**


	2. Chapter 2

**The Solution to All Our Problems - Chapter 2**

(January 1, 2014)

by SharkAria

* * *

"-and that's all we have time for today. Many thanks to the Wolfbats and team captain Tahno for the, er, enlightening interview. Next up, we'll be hearing from the Hina Flats Hippopotopumas, although it'll be hard to top what we just heard -"

The radio continued blaring away in the Air Temple dining room, but no one was listening any longer.

Korra stared straight ahead, frozen. She breathed in and out heavily, attempting unsuccessfully to stave off the flood of rage threatening to burst out. She calmed herself enough to get past her initial instinct to steal Oogi and fly straight over to that press conference to give Tahno the suckerpunch he deserved; only then did she allow herself to move. Hurriedly, she swept the rice off the table where it had fallen when she dropped her chopsticks, and she worked to focus on anything other than the wide-eyed stares the whole airbending family was giving her. Even Rohan had stopped cooing and was regarding her curiously.

Tenzin finally spoke, in a careful tone as if he were approaching a startled beast. "What was that all about, Korra?"

Even that neutral remark sent Korra's barely-contained anger over the edge. "How should I know?!" She yelled, tossing her hands into the air. Rohan whined in response to the loud noise she made.

Pema bounced the boy to calm him down. "Hush, my love," she murmured quietly. She turned to Korra and asked her delicately, "When you restored that young man's bending, did you...is there a chance that you gave him some kind of signal that you feel the same way about him?"

"Are you serious? Of course not! And you can't possibly think he was telling the truth anyway," Korra groaned. She just knew intuitively that Tahno was putting on an act. The man was a manipulative, calculating cheater. Besides, the only two times the guy had even been civil to her were when she ran into him at the police station and at the event when she returned his bending. Every other time she'd seen him, he had done nothing but trash talk her and her friends. Korra slammed her fist onto the table in frustration, startling the baby to tears. "Er, sorry, little guy," she apologized. Pema got up and gave Korra a long-suffering look before leaving the room with Rohan sobbing into her shoulder.

Ikki missed the exchange, clearly ignoring her family while she pondered Tahno's confession. She sighed dreamily. "How romantic! A handsome pro-bender has been secretly in love with Korra this whole time and his heart must have been broken while she was dating somebody else." She clasped her hands and gazed up at the ceiling, as if she were imagining Tahno wasting away with only his unrequited feelings to keep him company. Korra couldn't decide whether to laugh or puke at the mental image. "After Korra broke up with Mako he must have thought he had to bare his soul to the whole city or risk losing her again - Oww! Stop pinching me!" She pushed Jinora away and shot a hard gust of air into her sister's face, knocking her flat onto her back.

Jinora leapt up, obviously ready to retaliate, and Meelo looked like he was about to jump into the fray just for fun, but a warning glare from their father stopped them both. The girl brushed herself off with as much dignity as she could muster and stuck her tongue out at Ikki. "I wouldn't have pinched you if you didn't read too many romance novels all the time and say crazy stuff like that to Korra. Obviously this Tahno person is up to something." She crossed her arms and rolled her eyes dramatically as if to communicate to everyone in the room how much more mature and smarter she was than her kid sister.

"Jinora's right," Korra muttered. Jinora perked up at Korra's assessment. "Tahno's not in love with me. He's gotta be planning something. I don't know why he had to drag me into his schemes, though." She cracked her knuckles distractedly. It wasn't like she had been keeping tabs on the Wolfbats or anything, but she had noticed that Pro-Bending Digest had ranked the team's odds for taking the championship at dead last - even lower than the Ping Valley Porcupandas, who hadn't made the semi-finals since Toph Beifong was still serving as Chief of Police. After she had read that, she couldn't help but feel a fleeting pang of empathy for the Wolfbats, since she knew what it was like to compete as the underdog in the arena. Tahno must have taken the article especially hard since he'd been on top for so many seasons. She had even kind of hoped that the Wolfbats would come in second place - after her beloved Fire Ferrets, of course - since Tahno and his teammates had certainly had a rough couple months.

But all those kindred feelings were extinguished now that Tahno's plan to improve his public standing included humiliating her. She couldn't stay here any longer, what with Ikki speculating on her love life and Tenzin staring at her incredulously. Korra rose from the table with a grim expression. She looked at Tenzin expectantly. "Anything you want to tell me before I go see what the guys have to say about this crazy thing?"

Korra anticipated that he would try to provide a lot of useless advice - or worse, chastise her - but instead he replied, "Arena usage has been under the jurisdiction of the government since the Equalists almost blew the place up. I'll check in with the Recreation Bureau chief to see whether she's gotten wind of this, er, unorthodox proposal for an exhibition game."

Korra nodded appreciatively. "Thanks." She stood in the doorway, feeling the tide of anger well up again. She pivoted back and narrowed her eyes at Ikki. "While I'm gone, don't start spreading rumors about me and that numbskull Wolfbat."

* * *

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Korra and Naga swam to the mainland as fast as the polar bear dog could go. In spite of their rapid pace, Korra urged her to travel even faster as if trying to outrun the anger she felt building again. At sunset, they bounded onto the beach and made their way to Asami's luxurious penthouse flat, where Korra knew her three closest friends would have been hanging out listening to the press conference as well. Mako and Bolin were almost as enthusiastic Fire Ferret fans as she was, and she knew that they would never have missed the chance to listen to it on Asami's brand new state-of-the-art radio and phonograph combination unit. And anyway, Mako had more or less begun living there after he and Asami had gotten back together, and while Bolin still maintained his own apartment, he always seemed to find excuses to hang around and take advantage of the ritzy building's rooftop pool. It was a good situation, Korra thought; she was glad that Asami was no longer knocking around her father's gloomy mansion all alone. And if she were honest with herself, Korra would have to admit that she liked using the rooftop pool too.

Nevertheless, Korra couldn't help but be a little envious of the fact that her three friends were all living together in the fun city, while she was stuck out on Air Temple Island with a bunch of people who got up before sunrise. And she couldn't counteract her lingering discomfort about Asami and Mako's rekindled relationship, even though she knew that they were much happier together than she and Mako had ever been. Unfortunately, things sometimes got awkward when Mako and Asami would intentionally shy away from hugging or kissing in supposed deference to Korra's feelings. Maybe Korra would need to start bringing over dates of her own so that the two of them would stop being so "thoughtful".

"A date, huh," Korra muttered aloud. Her face felt hot with fury thinking about Tahno's ridiculous challenge. It was bad enough that the cheater had the guts to suggest to the world that he could beat her team without help from the refs, but to wager a date as the prize was downright insulting. Although she rarely indulged in reading such garbage, Korra knew that the tabloids were always speculating which athletes were cavorting with which celebrities; she figured that Tahno's proposal must have something to do with catching the media's attention. Korra recalled that Tahno had had a nasty break-up with a popular singer about a week before she and the Ferrets had faced them in the arena; at the time, even the legitmate news outlets reporting on their upcoming match had featured some discussion of how the failed relationship could affect the Wolfbats' game. Considering how much she was in the papers these days, she supposed that Tahno must have anticipated the rabid press interest in his public declaration of love for the Avatar, and he must be trying to capitalize on it. Korra groaned; she had supposed that a guy who cheated his way to the top would be pretty callous, but this display of cynicism shocked her.

Korra brought Naga around the back of the building and patted the beast's flank. "Go and chase the turtleducks in the park if you want, just don't scare any little old ladies," she instructed. Naga sauntered across the street as requested, her massive form casting a long shadow on the pavement. Korra entered through the service doors and pressed the button for the elevator.

As she waited, Korra tried to imagine what a date with that self-absorbed weasel might be like. He'd probably show up to her place wearing more makeup than her, gaze at his reflection in every shiny surface he passed, leer at other girls all night, and try to con her into paying for dinner. It was too bad he was such a slimeball, she reflected; the first time she saw him at Narook's she actually thought that he was not entirely unattractive...at least not until he slunk over like he owned the place and opened his stupid, sleazy mouth. Korra grimaced just remembering the encounter. It would bring her great pleasure to publicly embarrass him like he had done to her at the press conference by crushing his team in the arena, but accepting his challenge wasn't worth permitting him to use her for his big comeback moment. And even though she felt certain that the Ferrets could beat the pants off the Wolfbats given the chance, she didn't want to risk experiencing the misery that a date with Tahno would bring. Besides, her other ex-teammates had better things to do than play a game to help one greasy jerk further his career.

The elevator shot her to the top floor. The door was unlocked, so Korra let herself in. As she expected, she found her friends sitting on expensive couches in the front parlor, listening to the evening news.

"Korra! We heard the press conference!" Bolin exclaimed, popping out of his seat to turn off the radio. "Did you have any idea that Tahno has the hots for you? I think he needs to take some lessons from somebody about better ways to show his affection."

Korra scoffed and sat down opposite Asami and Mako, who seemed to be sitting unnaturally far apart. Sheesh, Korra thought, not this again. She ignored them and turned to Bolin. "Come on, not you too. You don't actually think this is anything more than a publicity ploy, do you?"

Mako responded first. "Who cares? This is gonna be awesome!"

Korra gaped at him in disbelief. She stuck finger in her ear to clear it, certain that she had heard him wrong. "What do you mean, 'awesome'?" she erupted.

Bolin jumped in. "We've all been talking about this whole thing for the past hour. How great is it going to be to kick Tahno's butt the way we should have the first time around?"

"Totally," Mako agreed. "It'll also jumpstart Bolin's job prospects, since his mover career has been on hold since Varrick escaped from prison." He slapped his brother on the back encouragingly.

"And Future Industries can sponsor your team!" Asami crowed excitedly. "I kind of need a way to improve the company's public image, since everyone thinks I supplied the weapons for the Water Tribes to fight each other..."

Bolin leaned over and whispered to Mako in a loud enough voice for Korra to hear, "But bro - she DID supply the weapons." Mako elbowed him hard in the ribs, effectively shutting him up.

Mako returned to the subject at hand. "So Korra, this is basically perfect for everybody. When do you wanna schedule the match?"

A look of horror passed across Korra's face as she searched for words. Their positive response perplexed her. She looked back and forth at the three of them, who were all smiling expectantly. "You all think this is perfect?" she questioned, low and soft. "Perfect?!" she repeated, her voice pitch and volume rising significantly. "Have you all gone insane?" she shouted. "That slimy makeup wearing freak is trying to use me to get back in the spotlight and you all think it's perfect?! That jerkbending, hair obsessed goon -" She continued ranting along these lines for a while, pacing up and down the floorboards. When Korra finally paused long enough to take a breath, Mako interrupted.

"But you don't have to go out with him unless we lose -"

"I don't have to go out with him at all!" Korra shot back.

Her friends fell silent, looking at one another guiltily.

Finally, Mako spoke. "You're right about Tahno. He's a gross, manipulative priss. But we're not the only ones who think you should accept his challenge. Just before you got here, Beifong called to say that the department is getting pressure from the President's Cabinet to get fans back to the arena. Between the Equalist blimp practically blowing up the building and criminals kidnapping the President there, the bureaucrats are worried that the place won't be very popular this season. They've been looking for a way to prove that it's safe again, and a match like this could be just what they need."

Asami patted Mako's thigh in agreement, the unconscious gesture bringing red to Korra's vision. "Korra -" she began, "We know it's asking a lot of you. But it would help all of us, and it would be good for the city."

Korra didn't reply. She sat down on a fluffy ottoman, putting her elbows on her knees and her head in her hands. She closed her eyes and rubbed her temples, suddenly feeling achingly tired.

Asami rose and crossed over to where Korra sat. She placed her hand lightly on Korra's shoulder. "Besides, after what you've all been through this year, there is no way you can lose."

Korra sighed heavily. She smoothed her hair back with both hands and looked up again at her friends. For some reason, the cartoonish image of Tahno smirking at her with a rose between his teeth flashed in her mind.

"Fine. Let's do it."

"Yeah!" Bolin and Mako jumped up and high-fived one another.

She glared at them both. "The two of you better fucking bend like your lives depend on it."

* * *

Ooooooooooooooo

Korra and Naga got back to Air Temple Island late that night, and she avoided her host family for the next day by pretending to be busy meditating every time someone approached her room. It wasn't until after dinner on the second day that Tenzin finally managed to corner Korra in the kitchen, where she was standing by the counter, wolfing down leftovers.

He stood across from her in her line of sight. She purposely avoided eye contact. "Korra, I spoke to the Rec Bureau chief. She said that her department is eager to prove that they have gotten rid of the crooked refs, and that they'd love to put on an exhibition match if your team agrees to it."

"Huh," Korra grunted, shoveling noodles into her mouth. Tenzin seemed to expect more from her, but she remained focused on her meal.

As he was wont to do, he persisted with the topic. "Korra, Mako told me yesterday that you said you'd play, but that you still haven't made the announcement. What's going on?"

Korra swallowed her mouthful of food and glanced at Tenzin's concerned expression. She scratched the back of her head distractedly. "Yeah, I'm gonna do it. I know it's the right thing to help my friends and the city. It just makes me so mad that a jerk like Tahno is gonna get everything he wants out of the deal. Even when we beat him and I refuse to go on a dumb date with him, he'll get to play the part of the poor rejected suitor and all his ridiculous fangirls will eat it up."

Tenzin searched her face. "Maybe you need to change the public conversation a bit."

"What do you mean?" Korra asked, confused.

"You watched Tarrlok use the press to his advantage a long time ago, and Tahno is clearly doing the same thing. Why can't you have your own say in the media?"

Korra rubbed her chin thoughtfully. After a moment, she smiled. "I think I have an idea of how to do that. You know Tenzin, you're pretty crafty when you put your mind to it."

Tenzin turned red, protesting, "This is all above-board stuff! Nothing crafty about it! Just trying to help you out!" He turned on his heel and left in a flustered huff. Korra chuckled at Tenzin's embarrassment.

She placed her bowl and chopsticks in the sink, then walked over to the nook where the one phone on the island was kept. Tenzin found its constant ringing irritating and disruptive to the peaceful aura he sought to create on the compound, so he insisted that it stay in a room that he rarely used. As it was, he could barely stand the fact that the radio lived in the dining room, but Korra and the kids had won that particular battle. Korra picked up the phone receiver.

A woman's voice came on the line. "Operator. Who are you trying to reach?"

"Give me the Republc City Enquirer's assignment desk."

"Right away, ma'am." Korra heard a click and a buzz, followed by two rings.

A pitchy female voice answered. "Republic City Enquirer, where we report all the news that's fit to tint, how can I help you?"

"This is the Avatar," Korra declared, hoping that she sounded confident. "Am I speaking to the reporter who has been writing those ridiculous articles about my love life?"

The person on the other end paused in what was probably shock for a fraction of a second, then began gushing an obsequious stream of compliments. "Avatar Korra! What a surprise! What an honor! What a -"

"Look lady, I'm calling to give you an exclusive story, but I'll call the RC Weekly instead if you don't want it."

"My apologies. Tell me everything you wish to discuss."

Once the woman shut up, Korra began speaking. "The original Fire Ferrets are going to accept the Wolfbats' invitation to participate an exhibition game. We feel that such a match will be good for the sport and for the city. And personally, I am happy to help play a part in proving to pro-bending fans everywhere that the corruption has been rooted out of the pro-bending arena forever."

The reporter squealed in delight. Korra heard her scribbling notes in the background. "This will be quite the article - definitely front page material! But you haven't mentioned the part of the story that most of our readers will want to hear about."

Korra sighed heavily into the mouthpiece. "Tahno."

"According to him, you hold the key to his heart. Have a comment on that?" she pressed.

Korra pursed her lips in annoyance. Sometimes she really hated talking to reporters. But she had to send a signal to Tahno that he wasn't the only one who could manipulate the press. "I'm confident that my team will win the match."

"That's not what I asked."

"That's all I have to say."

"But -"

Korra pressed down on the hook, hanging up on the reporter. The image of Asami's hand comfortably resting on Mako's leg replayed in an irritating loop over and over in her mind. She shoved it from her mind.

Now for the really tough call. She let up her hand and once again the operator answered.

"Connect me to Tahno in the White Falls district of Republic City. Please," Korra instructed. She twirled the telephone cord around her finger as she waited to be connected.

"One moment please." Korra heard the woman shuffle some of the wires; then the call went through and she heard the phone ring. Her heart thumped as the ring cut off when someone answered.

"Tahno speaking," said a low, familiar voice on the other end.

Korra's own voice caught in her throat for a moment. She imagined a shirtless Tahno lounging in a big bed, a revolting smirk plastered across his face and his arms draped around two or three giggling groupies trying to heal his "broken heart" with their own declarations of affection for him. The thought spurred her into talking: "I don't know or care what your angle is, buddy, but I don't plan on being a pai sho piece in your games."

* * *

OOOOOOOO

**A/N**: I can't take credit for "all the news that's fit to tint". I used to date somebody who would always say that disparagingly about his hometown paper.

Hope you enjoyed this installment. I am really excited for the next couple chapters. Hope I can do Korra and Tahno's characters justice.


	3. Chapter 3

_The Match: An Enquirer Exclusive_

With the big game scheduled for today, speculation is heating up on which team will win, and what Avatar Korra will decide about prodigal pro-bender Tahno. And we're here to fuel that speculation in every way possible! Our Avatar has been saying for weeks that she agreed to participate in the exhibition "for the good of the city," but she has stayed mum on the topic of her not-so-secret admirer - UNTIL NOW!

Enquirer reporters have been pursuing Avatar Korra relentlessly for word on the big wager, but just yesterday she finally gave a hint on her thoughts. Turns out, she may not just be playing for her adoring citizens - she might be open to playing for Tahno's heart. After a recent team practice, the Avatar was overheard by a confidential source as saying, "There's no way the Ferrets will lose. But when I agreed to the match, I agreed to the whole proposal, wager and all." Sounds like there's hope for our lovelorn Prince of Pro-Bending after all.

So far, she hasn't spilled on any fluttery feelings for Tahno. However, tipsters have reported that she has a new spring in her step and a gleam in her eye. Does this mean that Avatar Korra could throw the game for a chance at true love?

Experts think it's possible. "Avatar Korra has a highly competitive personality type, so she's clearly conflicted. If she didn't have any feelings for Tahno, she wouldn't have agreed to participate in the game in the first place," said Dr. Lan Shang, noted couples counselor and author of the book /Bend it My Way: Relationship Advice for Mixed-Element Bending Couples/.

In the meantime, fans await the competition with bated breath. There's no doubt that the match between the Ferrets and the Wolfbats in the arena will be memorable; it remains to be seen whether the match between Korra and Tahno will prove equally epic.

Be sure to pick up tomorrow's Enquirer for exclusive behind-the-scenes coverage of the big game! - RCE

* * *

"Those jerks! I never said anything like that!" Korra yelled to no one in particular, tossing the paper to the locker room floor in disgust. In fact, she had been very careful to avoid giving a real answer to anyone who asked her about Tahno and his date wager. She wasn't planning on losing, but in the unlikely event that she did, she certainly wasn't going out with Tahno. Unfortunately, she knew it was the wager that had gotten many of the fans in their seats in the first place. She couldn't risk outright telling the truth about her plans without alienating a chunk of the city. This new "revelation" about her supposed acceptance of the date made it nearly impossible to refuse if her team lost.

Korra stared at the article on the front page of the paper on the floor; Tahno's eyes in the accompanying picture seemed to be mocking her in black and white. She was tempted to burn the offending paper out of existence then and there, but she refrained when she noticed that the airbending kids - and Pema, who had already admonished her for half a dozen infractions today - were watching. Tenzin and his family, along with Asami, had accompanied the Ferrets into the locker room to provide support before the match; they didn't need to see her lose her cool before the game had even started.

Bolin hunched over nearby, punching the air nervously as he practiced some earthbending forms. "I told you not to read that gossip rag. You're the one who insisted on picking up a copy on the way over here."

Mako grumbled, "Unfortunately, I heard the same thing on the radio today. Looks like the mainstream press has decided to report it as fact, too." He sat down on the bench beside Korra, checking the traction on the sole of his boot.

"You might be able to get the paper to issue a retraction tomorrow, but it's too late to change what people think today," Tenzin added.

Korra felt the simmer of anger building again. Well, at least now she had even more energy to focus on destroying Tahno and his team. She couldn't change what the reporters said; she only had control over the outcome of the match.

"I have faith in all of you. You can't lose," Asami said supportively, putting her hand on Mako's shoulder and unknowingly ratcheting up Korra's anxiety. Korra's eye twitched as she mused for the hundredth time that even though she didn't need a boyfriend, at least she could act just as annoying as her friends did in her presence. In any case, Asami had good reason to hope strongly for a good outcome: after Korra, she was probably the person with the most to lose if the Wolfbats won. She had confided earlier to Korra that sales were picking up again since her sponsorship of the Ferrets had linked Future Industries to the positive and popular image of the Avatar. Nevertheless, she had spent a good part of the company advertising budget on the team, hoping the investment would pay off. She had never explicitly said so to Korra, but Korra had the impression that if the Ferrets lost the match, Asami feared that customers might see the company as a losing bet too.

Of course, in the (completely impossible) event that the Ferrets did lose, Korra wouldn't usually have thought that her fans or her city would think any less of her. Perhaps that was why the false news reports troubled her so much -now everyone would be expecting something different than what she was planning on delivering.

"We'd better get to our seats," said Pema to Tenzin, herding her brood of children toward the door. "Coming, Asami dear?"

"Good luck," Asami whispered in Mako's ear, kissing him briefly on the cheek before following the airbenders. Korra turned away.

"Hey bro, we better hit the bathroom before everything gets started," Bolin noted to Mako, who nodded. "You'll be OK in here, right Korra?"

Korra waved them off. "Sure. See you in a few." Her teammates stepped out, and Korra found herself alone.

She picked up the paper from the floor. The tabloid had run a picture that had been taken the day Korra had given Tahno back his bending. Of course some stupid photographer had captured the moment that Tahno had winked at her, her cheeks darkened with blush. The photo had been printed in a dozen news outlets in the past month. Screw this, Korra thought. She lit a fire in her palm, this time committed to burning the article to a crisp.

"We make quite a pair in that picture, don't we?" a slick voice oozed, startling Korra from her thoughts.

Korra extinguished the fire and groaned in frustration. Of course Tahno of all people would have to walk in on her examining at that particular article. She looked up to see him looming over her and composed herself, hoping he hadn't noticed how much he had surprised her. "Oh, it's you," she said as disdainfully as she could manage. "I thought you'd be busy telling more lies to the press before the start of the game."

Tahno ignored her animosity and smiled. "It's been too long, Avatar. I missed your sunny demeanor these past months we've been apart."

She narrowed her eyes at him, willing him to go away and leave her alone. So that was how it was going to be, huh? She figured she could take a cheap shot just as well as he could. "Didn't anybody tell you this is a bending match and not a fashion show?"

He raised an eyebrow, probably expecting an insult but intrigued nonetheless. "Excuse me?"

"I thought you might have gotten it mixed up, since you got your hair and makeup done for the occasion."

Tahno smirked, clearly unimpressed with the jibe. He returned, "I thought your fans might enjoy seeing someone in the arena who actually has a sense of style - for a change." He tossed his head in a practiced gesture, flicking his bangs out of his face in a way that would have sent his groupies into fits of adoring shrieks.

She scowled and clenched her hands, the tabloid crumpling between her fingers, but she said nothing in response.

Already close to her, Tahno stepped even further into Korra's personal space. Her first instinct was to scuttle back out of his reach, but she didn't want to give him the satisfaction of seeing that he could affect her in that way. He leaned down toward her and Korra could smell his cologne, a bold scent that seemed surprisingly masculine for a guy who wore eyeliner. He reached out as if to touch her, but instead took the paper from her. She let out a breath she didn't know she had been holding and he gave her a mean half smile. He glanced at the picture again, then folded the tabloid neatly under his arm. She despised how familiarly he was treating her. He said, "You know, I enjoyed that exclusive interview you gave the Enquirer about this game. Personally, I've found that RC Weekly pays more for one-on-ones, but I'm sure you had your reasons."

Korra couldn't keep the scandalized look off her face. "They pay you to talk to them? Is that - is that allowed?"

Tahno laughed heartily at her naivete, a low rumble that rose with his mirth. "Sweetheart, if you couldn't even get them to slip you some Aangbucks for a first-shot interview, you've got a lot to learn about handling the media."

Korra had always known that Tahno was shameless, but this new revelation still surprised her. She felt heat rise up her neck. "You are vile. The only reason I agreed to this whole thing in the first place was to make sure you weren't misusing your bending again. You know, an actual good reason instead of self-promotion."

"So our Avatar is playing the role of the moral police now. And here I was hoping you agreed to the match because you secretly returned my feelings," he replied, his voice dripping sarcasm.

Korra sneered. "It's just us in here Tahno. You can drop the 'in love' act when the reporters aren't around."

"I'm so disheartened that you think my obvious adoration for you is just for show," he mocked.

She gritted her teeth. What on earth did his fans see in him anyway? "If the Ferrets were to lose, which we won't, you can't possibly think I would go with you on that ridiculous, paparazzi fishing trip that you call a date."

Tahno scoffed. "When you lose, you won't be able to bear a city full of your adoring fans watch you go back on your word." Damn him, Korra thought, he was right. Obviously her team would have to win, so that the point would be moot. If only she could get the papers to reverse what they wrote, she thought futilely.

He continued. "And since you're still a novice with the press, let me give you some advice. No matter how much they love you now, the reporters won't write kindly about a celebrity who doesn't follow through on her promises, either."

Korra felt her cheeks get hot. Suddenly she remembered the false quote in the paper. She burned in rage. "That thing all the papers are saying about me - it was you! You planted that fake response!"

Tahno gave her a grin that, as far as Korra was concerned, served as a signed confession. "Don't know what you're talking about, babe. All I have planned is good, clean bending for my fans."

Korra lurched forward, her arms outstretched toward Tahno. Tahno leapt backwards and was saved by Bolin and Mako, who returned at the very moment that Korra would have throttled him. They grabbed either of her arms, holding her back.

"Korra, no!" Bolin shouted over Korra raving at her opponent. "We gotta go out there in a minute!"

Tahno's teammates sauntered in together, witnessing the aftermath of the scene. "I see she's already hot and bothered for you, Tahno," Ming quipped and turned to Shaozu for a fistbump. Korra lunged forward again, halted again by her teammates.

Tahno blew a supremely sarcastic kiss to Korra before turning on his heel. "I'll see you after the match, toots. Looking forward to our date."

The three Wolfbats slung their helmets over their shoulders and turned away without another glance at Korra and her teammates. Ming and Shaozu fell into line behind Tahno and squared their shoulders as they crossed the threshold and strode into the packed arena. Korra could no longer see them, but she heard the announcer herald their arrival on the loudspeaker as the fans screamed wildly.

Bolin and Mako released her. She adjusted her uniform insouciantly and turned to look at them. Their concerned expressions did nothing to cool her temper. She took a deep breath, closed her eyes for a moment, and reopened them feeling more centered. More centered and ready to kick some Wolfbat ass.

"Look guys, that is just what I needed to get past those trash talking dingbats. I feel totally ready to shoot them straight into the drink."

The two of them looked at one another meaningfully, but Bolin said, "Hey, whatever it takes. Let's get out there."

The three of them had a quick team huddle - "Go Ferrets!" - and walked with purposeful strides into the arena.

* * *

"We're seconds from the end of the game folks, and what a game it's been! These teams have taken the competition down to the wire. In all my years of announcing, I've never seen such evenly matched teamson the court. But wait, the Ferrets are coordinating with a rare and difficult triple-pronged attack! The Wolfbats are responding, but too slow! Shaozu is at the edge, he's almost over, he's - he's grabbed on to Ming and taking him into the drink with him! What a lucky break for the Ferrets! It's all up to Tahno now, he's dodging the attacks, he's slinging water whips when he can - oh, no, the Ferrets are too much for him, they're concentrating their elements on him, to the left, to the right - he's over the edge! And the match is over! All three Wolfbats have been slammed off the court within seconds of one another with a spectacular last minute upset by the ferocious Fire Ferrets!"

The game ending buzzer blared throughout the stadium. As if they were one person, the entire audience catapulted out of their seats and yelled victoriously or disappointedly, depending on which team they were rooting for.

Korra, Bolin and Mako jumped up and down, throwing their helmets off in celebration. They clapped one another on the back and embraced, flush with excitement.

Moments later, Tahno and his teammates stood before Korra and hers, dripping wet, having come up to the court straight out of the drink. All three of them looked to Korra as though they had swallowed too many sea prunes. She had never felt so smug in all her life. The whole thing - the media circus, the public speculation about her love life, the brutal practices - it had all been worth it to see Tahno's priceless expression of newfound humility.

Korra took the microphone that the announcer offered her and the crowd went wild. When the noise finally died down she beamed. "What a great match. It feels amazing to be back here in the arena tonight. And I am happy to tell you all, without any hesitation, that the Wolfbats were playing by the book tonight. They are going to be an amazing team to watch this upcoming season - after all, they almost beat the fearsome Fire Ferrets." At this, Korra sent a particularly scathing glare to Tahno. Tahno wasn't even looking at her. Korra continued, "I want to thank team captain Tahno for suggesting this exhibition game. As fans, you deserved to have us prove to you that the sport is back on track. I hereby declare that pro-bending is free of corruption for good!" At this, the audience clapped and hollered, and a particularly enthusiastic stadium employee rang the buzzer again.

"Congrats on a game well played, guys," she said, rubbing in her victory by thrusting her hand toward Tahno for him to shake, hoping that the gesture would all be too much for him.

Tahno took her hand in his, but ever the crowd pleaser, dropped to one knee and and planted a kiss on the back of her hand. The fans roared in approval, with high-pitched screeches echoing throughout the space. He stood up and leaned forward, saying just loud enough for Korra to hear above the din, "If you're attempting to humiliate me, dear Avatar, you'll have to do better than that."

It was then that Korra realized there had to be more to this - as utterly conceited as Tahno was, he definitely wasn't the type to go into a competition without a back-up plan in case he lost the game and the date wager. And that back-up plan might even involve some seriously negative press for her, or her friends, or even Asami's company. She wasn't sure what he might try, but she wasn't going to let him play her or the people he cared about. She would do everything she could to disrupt his scheme, even if it meant overcoming her own negative feelings. She knew what she had to do. She took a deep breath and hoped she wouldn't regret her next move.

Korra continued, "Some of you may have heard that there was a little dare riding on the outcome of this game." The fans hushed, waiting to hear what she would say next. She caught Tahno's eye. He returned her gaze neutrally, probably mentally running through his options.

"While I can't say that Tahno, er, won my heart, he won my respect for playing honestly and fulfilling his promise to the fans." The audience was nearly silent now. "So...what kind of Avatar would I be if I didn't give people a second chance? Tahno, let's go on that date and see where it leads."

The crowd gasped collectively, then everyone started screaming at once. Bolin and Mako gaped at Korra.

Tahno stared at her, but recovered quickly with a broad, if strained, smile. He approached her and cupped his hands to his mouth, shouting above the noise, "You surprise me, Avatar. But sure, let's...see where this leads."

* * *

**A/N:** I am so excited for the next couple chapters! I hope you have enjoyed this story so far. The set up took longer than I expected, but I didn't want to rush something that didn't seem true to the characters. Even Korra's change of mind above felt a little forced, but I tried to make her think on her feet and realize that she had to move fast or let Tahno's scheming constantly get the best of her.

Truly appreciate all feedback, praise or criticism, that anyone wishes to provide.

Next chapter: Korra and Tahno go on a date. Things go a little differently than expected, for both of them.


	4. Chapter 4

The Solution to All Our Problems - Part IV

by SharkAria

* * *

"Tahno seems like a high maintenance guy, but I bet he knows how to show a girl a good time." That's what Asami had told Korra while yanking a brush through Korra's thick hair to prepare her for the big fake date. Korra had turned scarlet; Asami had clarified that she didn't mean that kind of a good time (not specifically that kind, anyway), and had continued, "You know, maybe it's weird to say about this whole thing, but I hope you have fun tonight." Korra had never felt more uncomfortable or less likely to have fun in her entire life.

The conversation had only occurred a few hours earlier, but it felt like since then she had inadvertently stumbled into the portal of some weird new world that neither the spirits nor humans had yet discovered. Korra couldn't think of any other way to explain how she was currently clutching a tiny, delicate purse in her battleworn hands, riding in the back of Asami's Satomobile limo to spend time with a man who tested her ability to remain civil in public. Asami had requested to 'help' Korra get ready, which to Korra felt as though Asami had declared her incapable of making herself presentable for such a paparazzi-filled occasion. Asami had insisted that Korra wear her hair down, and in spite of Korra's protests and she had applied a quick swish of lipstick. Oh well, at least the makeup was less than what Tahno would be wearing, she thought grimly. Her brassiere dug into her ribcage and made her itch; the garment served as an ever-present reminder of why she preferred to wear traditional formal attire that didn't require such underclothing instead of the fashionable metropolitan styles that did. Somehow Asami had managed to zip Korra into the blue, bead-infested dress that she was now sweating through, but Korra was pretty sure that the feat was accomplished more as a result of the horrific girdle, slip, and stocking combination that Asami had also forced her to wear. The only reason Korra hadn't outright refused those particular underthings was out of modesty; the dress had the shortest skirt she'd ever worn in public - it went all the way up to her knees, for goodness sake! She couldn't even imagine what her parents would say if they saw how much leg she was revealing. At least the neckline was high enough for Korra to keep herself from feeling totally indecent. All of these things she might have been able to withstand but for the evil heels ('Oh please, you call those heels? I've seen old grandmas wear higher ones than those,' Asami had scoffed) that now squeezed her feet mercilessly. If Korra hadn't already had a major incentive to end the evening early, the outfit certainly provided one.

But the evening was only just beginning, of course. With every block the that her car passed, Korra's nervous energy intensified. Any moment now, they'd pull up to Chang's and the driver would open the door for her. Then she would have to step out into the open, where reporters and photographers would rush her. She'd probably have to jostle her way through just to get to the front door, where Tahno said he'd meet up with her. Some gentleman, she thought in annoyance, couldn't even pick up a girl for a date. Of course, Asami had pointed out that picking up Korra at her place required a boat or an air bison. Then Mako had laughed and Asami had smacked him playfully, and that was when Korra's stomach had started churning. It hadn't stopped, and now she was mere minutes away from her destination.

Too soon, her car pulled up to the restaurant. The driver hopped out at the same moment that the paparazzi surrounded the vehicle. She heard muffled flashbulbs and unintelligible chatter from the reporters for a few seconds. She took a deep breath, trying to extend the last few sane seconds she would have for the next several hours. Then the driver opened her door and several flashes blinded her. She tried to step out, but the high heel she was unaccustomed to wearing caught on the car's running rail and she felt herself falling over. Just as she was about to airbend a cushion to keep her from faceplanting on the sidewalk, a pair of arms caught her and dozens more flashes went off. Dimly Korra perceived several high pitched screams as she righted herself.

When Korra shook off the afterimages from the camera flashes a few moments later, she looked up to see which reporter had come to her rescue. To her unending shame, she saw Tahno's self-satisfied face gazing down at her, his arms still encircling her. She gasped and jumped back as he released her. He gave her a slight bow, then grinned at the crowd gathered around them.

It was then that Korra realized that there were more than just reporters here - there were dozens, maybe hundreds of fans, mostly girls, gathered on the sidewalk to cheer them on. They were held back by a velvet rope and several of Chang's meanest looking bouncers standing guard.

What had she gotten herself into?

"Avatar, I was hoping you'd let me embrace you, but I didn't expect to have the opportunity to do so this early in the evening," Tahno jested. Out of the corner of her eye, Korra noticed several reporters jotting down the quote in their notebooks. As utterly irritating as it was, Korra had to give him credit for having the press hanging on his every word. And dressed in his jet-black finery, he was definitely going to make all the "Best Dressed" lists this week too.

Tahno offered his arm in exaggerated gallantry. She stared at the limb for a moment as if he were trying to hand her a rotten fish, but managed to wiped the expression from her face when she supposed she didn't really have a choice but to take it. The gesture elicited more shrieks of approval behind her. At this point she didn't care. She would have proposed marriage to him if it had meant that they could get inside faster to escape the sheer insanity of the reporters and the fans.

Tahno led her quickly up the steps to the entrance, waving off the press. Two strong-looking men dressed in tuxes opened the heavy red doors for them. She and Tahno stepped across the threshold. She glanced behind her to see the mob rushing forward. Then the doors slammed shut on the scene and on the noise. Now all she could hear was soft jazz music and the clink of silverware on fine china. The ritzy room and patrons alike dripped with gilded excess.

She glowered at Tahno and released his arm. "That was quite the performance out there. I could have taken care of myself, you know."

"I am happy to pummel you in the arena, but I don't make it a habit to let my dates fall on the ground. Even if they are tomboyish klutzes who can't get out of a Satomobile properly."

"Nice to see you too. Alright, let's get this over with."

Tahno furrowed his eyebrows in exasperation, and perhaps confusion at her comment. "Perhaps your memory is faulty. You are the one who agreed to this date when you would have been within the parameters of our wager to have refused."

"Yeah, yeah, don't remind me," Korra muttered. She wondered how soon she could get her hands on a big drink.

* * *

They were seated in a luxurious booth that had a view of the rest of the dining room. The downside to this arrangement was that all the restaurant customers had a nice clear view of their table, dashing Korra's hopes for some privacy. The good news was that they were too far away from the other tables to have their conversation overheard. The waiter had already taken their orders; unfortunately, Korra hadn't heard of many of the dishes on the menu, so she had just pointed at one of the items and hoped she wouldn't be disappointed. The other patrons were working hard to appear as though they hadn't the slightest interest in Tahno and Korra, but Korra kept noticing people glance away just as she looked at them. She wondered how many of them had called in favors to get reservations for tonight.

Tahno had said something to her, but Korra had missed it while she was trying to catch somebody else staring at her. "What did you say?"

"I said, that dress is very stylish. My compliments to Miss Sato." Tahno raised his crystal wine glass in salute.

Korra gritted her teeth. "Is it that obvious that she helped me pick this outfit?"

Tahno smirked. "Yes."

Great, Korra thought. Even her media-chasing fake date thought Asami made a better girlfriend than her. She wondered if Mako had been as clueless as she was about how to dress and what to order when Asami had taken him here. She was pretty sure that Asami was classy enough not to comment on it, however.

Resigned to a lousy evening, Korra fiddled with her chopsticks, rolling them back and forth over the starchy tablecloth. She was glad that she had thwarted whatever plan Tahno must have had in store for her after she won the match, but she hadn't thought about how to act on the actual date. She had no idea what to do or say. She hoped that she could just fake her way through it and then Tahno would have all the press he wanted and he would leave her alone for good. She stole a sideways glance at Tahno, who looked as natural as could be in this hoity toity setting, and in no hurry to jumpstart the conversation.

His silence got to her eventually. She had to say something instead of just sitting here feeling uncomfortable. "So, we're on this date." Real smooth, Korra, she thought.

"Yes, we are." Tahno idly twirled the stem of his wine glass between his thumb and forefinger, the burgundy liquid whirlpooling in the goblet. He did not offer any further commentary, not even a thinly veiled insult.

This wasn't working. She tried again. "What do people like you do on dates anyway?"

Tahno set his glass back on the table and met her eyes. "This may surprise you, but I may be the wrong person to ask. Dating isn't exactly something I do on a regular basis."

"What are you talking about? You date pretty women all the time."

Tahno raised an eyebrow. "'Dating' is a strong word to use for those, ah, trysts."

"Oh." Korra hesitated, willing herself not to appear scandalized by what Tahno implied. She decided to keep trying honesty. "Well, I've only had two boyfriends, so you still probably know more about the subject than I do."

He tilted his head, as if considering her statement. "You slept with both of your teammates? They're brothers, aren't they?"

Korra gaped. "No! Gross! I mean, not that Bolin is gross, but I didn't - " She did not like the direction this was going. She felt her face getting hot as she rushed to explain, "I mean, Bolin and I went on one date, but we didn't 'date' date; uh, there was a guy down at the South Pole - and for your information, 'dating' doesn't always mean 'sleeping' -"

Tahno laughed, and to her surprise, Korra couldn't detect even a hint of malice. "Sweetheart, you don't have to tell me any more. This is clearly awkward for you to discuss."

Humiliated, Korra sunk back into the cushions of the booth. She sighed in relief that she had managed to shut off the flow of personal information she hadn't meant to share. She took a sip of her wine to help her push past her discomfort.

Somehow the discussion seemed to shake Tahno out of his aloofness. He seemed to be warming up a bit and threw her a bone. "Well, you could ask me a question. You know, 'get to know each other,' that sort of thing."

Having finally recovered from her earlier embarrassment, her mind was blank. She didn't know what to say to him. "Um. You go first."

He gave a mildly patronizing look, but humored her. "I'm used to planning for all contingencies. I thought that you would try to get out of going on a date if you had lost, but I didn't expect you to ask for it after you won. So why are we here tonight?"

Tahno admitting to having miscalculated something? Korra started to get the feeling that she was in some strange alternate universe again. "Well, the whole reason I agreed to the match in the first place - besides having the pleasure of beating you - was to help my friends and the Republic City citizens. Asami's company is back on top. The pro-bending fans don't have to worry about every game being rigged. And the arena finally had a safe and fun event where nothing blew up."

"Interesting," Tahno said after a moment of contemplation. "That answer reflects a greater level of tactical thinking than I would have thought you capable of."

Korra pursed her lips at the slight, but she continued. "Beyond that, I just figured that you had totally invested yourself in this crazy scheme. I do believe that you thought you were going to win, but anybody as crafty as you must have come up with another plan in case you didn't, or in case I didn't accept your offer. I thought it would be worth it to throw a wrench in that plan, get everything that my friends and I needed, and see you writhe for a while now that you have to play this role a little longer." She crossed her arms in satisfaction.

Tahno chuckled, low and thoughtful. "I'm both insulted and impressed, Avatar."

A snooty-looking waiter brought their entrees to the table. "For the lady," he announced as he placed the plate in front of Korra. The chef had apparently decided that leaving the eyes on whatever seafaring animal had been sacrificed for this meal would improve the presentation of the dish. Korra wrinkled her nose in disgust.

Tahno seemed to be more pleased with his choice. He took a careful bite of his fish, savoring the flavors. "I believe it is your turn to ask me a question now."

Anything to avoid eating this weird stuff, Korra thought. She grabbed her wine glass and took a generous gulp. "So, uh...why do you always wear eyeliner and do your hair all crazy like that?"

Tahno closed his eyes a moment. "I thought you might ask something like that."

"Really? Why?"

"You are clearly fascinated with my appearance. You've commented on it - usually in a negative way - nearly every time we've spoken."

Korra nearly choked on her wine. She stammered out, "Fascinated? I don't think -"

"It's fine, you don't need to be self-conscious. I'm certainly not." He took another bite of his dinner. "Maybe 'fascinated' is the wrong word. Confused. Intrigued. That better?"

"...Yeah. I've never met a man who does that kind of stuff to change his appearance, especially somebody who doesn't need to." Korra blushed when she realized that she accidentally said aloud that Tahno was attractive. Of course, just when the date was finally not sucking as much, she would have to ruin it by putting him on some massive ego trip.

The corner of Tahno's mouth twitched, but he didn't comment on Korra's slip. "When I started participating in regional pro-bending matches, I noticed that all the players tried to look tough and scary. But all those guys were offering the same garbage.

"I found that by altering my look in the other direction - stylish, glamorous, some might even say feminine - I inspired a different kind of fear. And since I was better than everyone I competed against -" Korra coughed at this, and Tahno smiled, correcting, "that is, nearly everyone - I got a reputation for looking effortless while destroying the other teams. A unique strategy that has largely paid off."

He ran his hand through his hair, flipping his bang back and giving Korra a smoldering look. ''And it doesn't hurt that the girls go for it, too."

Korra couldn't help but roll her eyes and laugh at this, even though she knew he wasn't joking. "Well, I just figured it was because you're vain."

Tahno grinned slyly. "Vanity and strategy are not mutually exclusive."

Korra snickered. She mused that Tahno could actually be pretty funny when his jests weren't directed at her. Maybe Asami was right that she would have a good time with Tahno after all.

Then she looked down at her plate glumly. Perhaps she was declaring victory on the date a little early. Korra pushed some of the food around with a chopstick, hoping that it didn't look too obvious that she hadn't actually tasted any of it. She messed up the complicated design that the chef had drawn with the various sauces and checked to see if Tahno was having a similar problem. To her chagrin, Tahno obviously didn't feel the same way - he had nearly finished his meal.

After another few moments of silence, Tahno asked, "You see those two at the booth behind me?" He jerked his head in the direction of a couple the next table over. Korra nodded. She could only see the back of the man's head, but she could the woman's face was visible. The woman glanced away when she noticed Korra paying attention to her.

"RC Weekly reporters, both of them. Stop, don't stare at them," Tahno directed. Korra looked at Tahno with wide eyes. "They probably thought we wouldn't recognize them because they usually cover mover actors. They must have paid the maitre'd a hefty sum to get a table this close to us."

Korra hated being spied on; her first urge was to get up and confront them. But that probably would only cause them to write something even more outrageous about her. She hunched toward Tahno, speaking in a hushed voice, "What do we do?"

Again, eerily, the corner of Tahno's mouth twitched up. "Give them something to write about, obviously," he replied, and before Korra had the chance to process the words, he reached out and brushed her bangs out of her face. Tahno leaned in to her, very close, and put his arm around her, squeezing her bare shoulder. Korra could have sworn that she heard the sounds of hurried scribbling from the table with the reporters.

Korra was frozen in place. Tahno whispered huskily in her ear, "That ought to generate at least three days of speculative articles. You know, if you let me kiss you on the cheek right now, it would give us a week on the front pages. What do you say?"

Korra felt his breath on her ear and his warm arm around her shoulders. He drew a lazy circle on her shoulder. She smelled the wine he'd been drinking and his cologne, the same scent he'd worn the day of their match. She shook her head the slightest bit, still too shocked to reply.

Tahno smiled and moved his arm away, picking up his glass and taking another sip of wine. He leaned back and she shivered from the cool air that he left behind. "Avatar, you continue to surprise me. I was nearly certain that you would slap me and storm out at that suggestion. Thank you for not doing that, by the way."

Korra smiled wanly, her heart still thumping. What would she have done if he had taken the liberty of kissing her?

"Although given how many times I've misread you, perhaps I should have expected you to grab my face and plant a wet smooch right on my mouth."

"I - I think you're still misreading me if you think that's going to happen." She tried to reply jokingly, confidently, but the words came out a little too faint. She sighed, leaning back into the rich velvet cushions of her seat, feeling a little lightheaded. Dating was hard enough; fake dating seemed to be even tougher. Korra supposed the only thing to do was redirect Tahno. "These tabloid reporters are really something, aren't they?"

Tahno looked at her a moment too long, almost as if he were sorry to give up the previous line of questioning. He flicked his hair out of his eyes. "I used to love them buzzing around. Made me feel important." She thought she heard his voice strain a bit at the admission.

"Don't you still love it? Isn't that why you came up with this gigantic lie?"

Tahno paused, considering her question. "Well, it was worth it to play in the arena again with the trust of my fans. And I've made more money in the past month than the previous six. But all this breathless coverage about my love life is starting to fray my nerves."

"Heh, tell me about it." Korra had been dealing with that problem even longer than Tahno had. In fact, one of the only good things that had come out of Tahno's "confession of love" was that the gossipmongers had stopped hounding Korra about her break up with Mako.

Suddenly, an amusing thought occurred to Korra. "I bet you can't hook up with any of your female fans anymore because they are all rooting for the two of us to get together."

Tahno's mouth flattened into a thin line. "That hasn't helped matters." Korra stifled a giggle. "But soon enough, you'll tell the world that you aren't interested, and the ladies will be lining up to help mend my broken heart." He drummed his fingers on the table, gazing down as though he were thinking about something else.

Another awkward silence descended over them. Korra couldn't quite get the hang of conversing with Tahno. When she and Mako had been dating, things seemed more straightforward. They had a lot to talk about - and a lot to disagree on. Maybe that was why they got into arguments all the time. Korra reminded herself that since this was a pretend date with Tahno, the whole situation wasn't really comparable.

"Are you not enjoying your food?" Tahno inquired, snapping Korra from her thoughts.

Korra looked morosely at the now cold fish before her. She twirled her chopstick on the edge of the plate. "It's really fancy," she said glumly. "I prefer simpler stuff."

Tahno's expression was unreadable. Then he signaled to the waiter and pulled a wad of Aangbucks from inside his jacket. "Look, I dragged you into this mess, and you didn't have to go out with me but you did anyway. I owe you one. Let me make it up to you."

The statement piqued Korra's curiosity. "How would you do that?"

"Let's shake these tabloid creeps and go get a meal that's actually worth eating. What do you say?"

Korra wondered what he had in mind, but she doubted it could be any worse than this. And she knew for sure that she was done with the flashbulbs and the reporters asking her personal questions. "If we can stop by the car so I can ditch these ridiculous shoes and grab my boots, you've got a deal."

* * *

Tahno had been on many dates during his years in Republic City, but after a while they had all begun to blend together. When he'd been the pro-bending champion title holder, there had been a parade of pretty faces, glittery dresses, jazz clubs, fancy food, and fancier booze. Of course he had also spent plenty of casual nights drinking at Narook's, but the girls he took there often complained that the place made their hair smelled like frying oil. The 'date' he was on with the Avatar seemed so different from those nights; for one thing, he wasn't actually trying to get into her pants. For another, she wasn't trying to suck up to him like the many girls whose names and faces he'd largely forgotten. So maybe he shouldn't have been so surprised that the Avatar agreed so enthusiastically to go back to the place they had first met for some cheap noodles.

The driver pulled up to the curb and the Avatar launched out of the car in excitement, not even waiting for the driver to step out and open the door for her. Tahno followed bemusedly.

"Oh no, the sign's off!" she groaned. "Don't tell me they're closed!"

"Don't worry, I've got an in with the owner," Tahno said, trying the handle on the front door. He pushed with his shoulder and held the door open for the Avatar, who bounded through happily. He made a mental note to remind Narook about locking up better for the evening. It wasn't as if they were in the ritziest part of town, and Tahno had heard rumors that the triads had been scrambling for new sources of income since they couldn't fix the pro-bending matches or run their gambling rings in the old locations anymore.

They found Narook hunched over the bar, tallying up the evening's totals. "We're closed!" he shouted without looking up.

"Even for a special guest?" Tahno asked.

Narook looked up with an expression that made it clear that he didn't think Tahno was very special. Then Narook noticed the Avatar and perked up considerably. "Avatar Korra! Or should I say, 'Reigning Champion' Avatar Korra? It's an honor to have you here again! I'm a big fan, you know." He gestured proudly to the promotional poster for the Ferrets vs. Wolfbats exhibition match behind the bar. Pinned beside it was a clipping from the Times from the day after the game, with a shot of the announcer holding up the Avatar's hand to proclaim victory. Tahno pursed his lips in annoyance. So much for friendship, he thought grumpily.

The Avatar didn't seem to notice Tahno's mood shift. "Well I'm a big fan of yours too! You make the best noodles I've had since I left home!"

Narook beamed at the compliment. "Did you hear that, Tahno? The Avatar knows what she's talking about."

"Some people have lower standards than I do," Tahno muttered under his breath. He pulled out a beat-up bar stool for the Avatar to sit on, and he plopped onto the stool beside her.

The Avatar grinned. "Please call me Korra. And that goes for you, too, pretty boy, I'm tired of all this 'Uh-vatar' stuff, got it?" she added for Tahno's benefit, poking fun at his accent.

"Korra it is," he responded, a bit peevishly.

Narook closed his accounting ledger and wiped his hands on a towel on his dingy apron. He shuffled around the big ice box behind the bar, clinking bottles around inside. "Pardon my mentioning this, Ava- I mean, Korra, but you seem a bit dressed up to be in my humble establishment - and I thought that your big date involved a little more, uh, glamour."

Korra was still in her formal dress, but she'd pulled her hair back and had traded the heels for her regular boots. When Tahno had led her into Chang's, he'd been surprised by how well she had cleaned up. In fact, the word "knockout" had come to his mind in spite of his previous distaste for the girl. Now that she'd changed into her old beat-up boots, the effect wasn't quite the same, but he had still snuck an appraising look at her curvy backside while she was scrambling out of the car a few moments earlier. In any case, he was pleased that she was finally acting more at ease.

Narook slid three frosty glasses over and poured a frothy amber liquid out for them. He grabbed the pint nearest to him and made a toast. "To the lucky bastards who brewed this heavenly beer." Tahno and Korra dutifully raised their glasses and sipped.

"Wow, this stuff is great!" Korra exclaimed. "Where did it come from?"

Narook wiped the foam off his lip with the back of his hand. "The monks who live at the Western Air Temple these days -

"You mean the Air Acolytes."

"Yeah, them - well, this beer is based on one that the Air Temple nomads kept closely guarded for thousands of years. Rumor has it that it helped bring them closer to the spirit world. The original recipe is lost, of course, but this one is pretty damn good too. I don't carry fancy booze here, but I've been saving this bottle for a special occasion."

Tahno took another sip, rolling the liquid across his tongue. He wondered how much of Narook's story about the beer was bullshit as he watched Korra eagerly take another gulp. It didn't really matter. The beer tasted so good that he didn't care if Narook's busboy was brewing it in his parents' storage closet.

Narook leaned an elbow on the counter. "So Korra, how is it that you ended up here?"

She grinned and rolled her eyes at Tahno. "You wouldn't believe the place Tahno took me. All the waiters had tiny little mustaches and snotty expressions, and all the food was super weird. There were photographers and reporters everywhere that were almost impossible to shake. And worst of all, I had to wear this ridiculous get-up." She swept her hand down her sparkly dress.

Narook let out a strong belly laugh and reached over the bar, slapping Tahno on the shoulder and causing him to slosh his drink. "That sounds like my boy, always putting on airs. But I see he finally came to his senses and brought you here."

Tahno merely raised an eyebrow at this as he dabbed at the beer on his collar with his handkerchief. He glanced back at Korra, who seemed to be smiling almost fondly at him. "Narook, you're absolutely right. So, do you think I could have some of your famous noodles? I'm starving!"

"Anything for the woman who spent a whole evening in Tahno's insufferable presence and still has a smile on her face." Korra seemed to think this was absolutely hilarious, as she slapped her hand on her knee and doubled over laughing. Tahno supposed he was having a good time, but all these jokes at his expense were getting a little old.

Korra must have read his thoughts on his face, because she said as if to appease him, "Oh, he hasn't been so bad. At least not once he told me he'd take me here." Tahno found himself sitting up a little straighter at her comment in spite of himself.

Narook tipped his head toward Tahno. "And you, friend? Need some real food?"

Tahno shook his head. "Just kelp tea. I was a bit more appreciative of the first restaurant's fine dining experience than Korra was."

Narook winked conspiratorially at Korra. "Don't mind him. He thinks he's fancy because he's a celebrity now, but he was raised in a swamp." Narook ducked into the kitchen to cook the order.

Korra eyed Tahno curiously. "Foggy Swamp?" she asked. Tahno nodded. "Did you wear a banana-mangrove leaf on your head?"

He responded a little crossly, "People there don't dress like that anymore." The stereotype was still annoyingly prevalent, here and around the globe, even though nowadays a guy could get almost everything in Foggy Swamp that he could get Republic City. Except newly-released movers and good Fire Nation food, anyway. He took a long sip of beer in an effort to cut off further discussion of the subject.

Korra chuckled. "Sorry, you probably get asked that all the time." Tahno grunted. "Still, if anybody could have pulled off that kind of outfit, it would have been you." Korra smiled, then looked away shyly.

Tahno was surprised she said something like that, but he kept his face deliberately neutral. Had she just - flirted with him? Well, one good turn deserved another, he supposed. "That's an odd compliment but I'll take it. And even if you don't especially care for your attire, I will say that dress is very becoming on you."

Korra blushed, clearly at a loss for what to say. Tahno enjoyed it. He wondered how far she would let him push it.

He didn't get to find out, because Narook ruined the moment by slapping two massive bowls of steaming noodles in front of them.

Narook handed Korra a set of banged up chopsticks. "I cooked an extra batch for Mister Skin-and-Bones over there. Whether or not he'll appreciate it is a different story."

Korra smirked and looked back and forth between Narook and Tahno. Then without further discussion, she picked up her bowl and started shoveling noodles into her mouth.

Narook looked significantly at Tahno and tilted his head toward Korra, as if to say with his eyes, 'I like this one. Don't screw it up.'

Tahno returned the look with a glare that communicated, 'Mind your own business, old man,' and tucked into his own meal. Narook grunted and slumped over to the other end of the bar to polish more glasses.

For several minutes, only the sounds of satisfied slurping of noodles passed between the two of them. Finally, Tahno looked up to see how Korra was doing. He almost slapped his forehead.

"Are you done eating?" He asked ironically, considering that she had picked up the bowl and looked as though she were getting ready to lick the sauce out.

She smiled sheepishly and placed the bowl back on the table, wiping her mouth on the back of her hand and stifling a burp. "I s'pose I am finished. So, what's next?"

Tahno was confused by the question. Post-paparazzi noodles was as far as he'd planned. He glanced back at Narook, who had been lingering at the other end of the bar, pointedly not looking in their direction. Tahno caught his eye. Narook looked up at the ceiling, then started whistling and slunk through the low doorway into the kitchen to leave the two benders alone. Subtle, Tahno thought sarcastically.

Suddenly he remembered something that might be interesting to her. "Come on, let me show you something cool."

* * *

A/N: Didn't expect to have to break this into two chapters but it got a little longer than I expected. Next chapter: More date, plus post-date. I had lots of fun writing this chapter. One thing I had a hard time with was Tahno mentally referring to Korra as "the Avatar." I got tired of it, and I thought that they were getting to know one another, so it seemd natural that he'd start calling her "Korra" in his head once she gave him permission to do so out loud. Also, as much as I love the way Tahno says "Uh-vatar," I don't like writing it that way. So please just imagine him pronouncing it that way in his head. Kthx.


	5. Chapter 5

The Solution to All Our Problems - Pt V

By SharkAria

* * *

Korra rubbed her belly in satiety as she and Tahno headed out of Narook's together. After scarfing down a huge helping of her favorite food, she hoped they'd be walking to wherever Tahno wanted to take her. She held in another burp, hoping her companion hadn't noticed. "That's exactly what I needed. A big bowl of noodles and a nice frosty beer, what could be better?" She automatically reached out to pat Tahno's shoulder in appreciation, but caught herself before she actually touched him.

Tahno stretched his arms behind his head and arched his back, staring up at the night sky. "Am I mistaken, or did hear a 'thank you' in there somewhere?" He asked nonchalantly.

Korra looked at him cock-eyed, then grinned. Feeling giddy from the beer and food and conversation, she decided to risk a playful knock against Tahno's arm. It wasn't like she was flirting or anything, but it couldn't hurt to try being friendly now that he was acting somewhat pleasant to be around. "I'm not sure I'd go that far - I mean, Narook is the one who cooked everything and comped the meal -"

"Perhaps I was too optimistic in hoping for your gratitude. But I think you'll like where we're headed next." He nodded in the direction of the nearest intersection and pointed to a nondescript four or five story building on the corner that took up the whole block.

Korra squinted. Maybe the glare from the streetlights was hiding something. "It just looks like apartments to me."

"It is - actually, I live there -" Korra eyed at him suspiciously at this. He shot her an irritated glance. "Oh, relax. I'm not taking you to my place. But the building has an interesting feature."

As they got closer, Korra started to see what he meant. The roof appeared to be completely overgrown by tall trees that added at least three stories to its height. Once they crossed the street, she felt her chi points tingle unexpectedly. "Whoa."

Tahno looked satisfied. "Finally, you're learning to stop doubting me."

From what she could feel, there had to be a good sized reservoir of water up on the roof. She couldn't quite picture what it was doing - it felt as though it was flowing, swirling continuously, so it couldn't be a water tower or a pool, but wasn't it churning or roiling like she would expect from a big fountain. She hadn't felt anything quite like it before. "What is it?"

"You'll see." They stood before an archway set into the building facade. The faux columns on either side were adorned with modern, angular carvings of lilies and vines. "This way," Tahno directed, pointing into the vaulted hallway.

Korra peered into the entrance uncertainly. The passage was dark, but she could tell that it terminated outdoors again, as she could see moonlight cast a glow into some kind of courtyard. Well, here goes nothing, she thought to herself, and took a breath as she crossed the threshold. Tahno followed a few feet behind.

The hall opened into a tall circular patio that was enclosed on all sides but the doorway, although it was open to the sky as Korra had expected. The stone walls extended up to the full height of the building, and a narrow staircase and railing spiraled up to the roof. She could see the leaves of the trees above the top of the walls ringing the opening. In the center of the patio, a small round reflecting pool glistened. What was this place?

Korra searched Tahno's face for a clue, then coughed. "So, uh, we take the stairs, I guess?"

"What are you, an earthbender?"

"Well...Yeah, I am..."

He rolled his eyes and vaulted over the stone lip into the reflecting pool. He turned around and held out his hand to her, gesturing for her to join him. She looked down at his hand, then up to the trees above, then down again to his face. She couldn't read anything other than mild impatience in his visage. Figuring that she'd already made the decision by accompanying him here in the first place, she took his hand in hers and stepped into the water.

Tahno let go of her hand and looked at her expectantly. "You can do this part yourself, I take it?" He began some familiar bending forms. Finally she understood and followed his lead. Together they created a water helix beneath their feet, which elevated them slowly up the center of the courtyard, but soon spun them up and over the edge of the enclosure and onto the roof. Korra landed a little rougher than she would have liked (that is, she overshot and flopped onto her stomach - she blamed it on the drinks from earlier), but Tahno pulled her up with an arrogant little show of teeth and helped brushed her off. Korra hoped that the darkness covered her blush as he dusted her shoulders with his hands. That taken care of, she took in the view. She gasped, speechless.

She found herself with Tahno in a garden that looked like the most beautiful version of every picture of Foggy Swamp that she'd ever seen.

Although Korra knew that the garden couldn't be more than a few hundred feet across, the trees were so thick that, but for the stone circle that opened back down into the courtyard behind her, she could have sworn that she was deep in an everglade forest. She could see the sky only through a single large break in the trees, a river of stars that cut out a jagged path through the inky black sillhouette of the banana-mangrove canopy. The garden buzzed with frog-crickets chirping to one another, blocking out any noise that would have come from the traffic several stories below them.

A wide, murky stream curved around nearby and seemed to curl in on itself, eventually disappearing into the trees. Korra supposed that the building roof must had had some sort of complicated recirculation system that allowed the water to flow so slowly, which explained the confusing feedback she'd received earlier. Just about every patch of land up to the edge of the streambank was overgrown with exotic plants - giant banana-mangrove trees that shot up into the sky; vinca-jasmine vines that whorled around tree trunks and exploded in fragrant white and purple blossoms; spongy moss that covered every nook and cranny where nothing else could grow. Korra detected a narrow dirt path thatched out of the wild vegetation, leading deeper into the garden. A gust of wind high above made the tree branches wave, causing the shadows to quiver and slide across the path. The effect reminded Korra of a water snake skimming across the surface of a pond.

"This garden extends over the roof of the whole building," Tahno broke the silence between them, his voice tinged with pride.

"This place is really amazing," Korra breathed. She heard Tahno chuckle beside her, satisfied with her reaction. Had he been standing so close to her before? It must be her imagination, or the magical aura of the space. She looked up at him. "But I've never heard of anything like this in Republic City. Where are we?"

"Welcome to Tho Due Swamp Gardens. Your previous incarnation commissioned it."

Korra reached out to touch a flower on a nearby vine that reminded her of a pinwheel. She was entranced. "I never knew that the swamp was so beautiful."

Tahno scratched his head and looked away. "Well, it isn't, not really. This garden has all the best parts of Foggy Swamp - the forest and water and shadows - without the mosquito-hornets or the musty smell or my trashy cousins."

Korra chuckled and began strolling down the path. "So why did Aang build it?"

Tahno followed her. "Some say he wanted to honor the swamp waterbenders who fought with hhim during the attack on the Fire Nation, but I think it had more to do with politics."

Korra stopped in her tracks and turned around. She made a bitter face and stuck out her tongue. "What does a garden have to do with politics?"

Tahno laughed, short and bitter, a jagged edge of cynicism that jarred Korra in the idyllic place. "Foggy Swamp families started migrating to Republic City as soon as Avatar Aang and Fire Lord Zuko began building it. This section of the White Falls district is almost entirely owned by Swamp tribe immigrants. As a voting bloc with the Northern and Southern Water Tribe neighborhoods, they can wield a decent amount of influence in the city. I assume they got the garden in exchange for some policy of Aang's that they supported." Tahno tapped Korra's forearm. "You should probably know more about this stuff now that you've laid out all those goals for reconciling the spirit world with the human world," he chastised.

Korra processed the information wordlessly, unconsciously rubbing the place where Tahno had touched her. She still had so much to learn about people, much less spirits. She sighed, her euphoria from experiencing the garden draining away as they got onto this conversation subject. She hung her head miserably just thinking about it. "Politics is the worst part about this job. I can't get the hang of it." She stepped off the path and kneeled beside the stream, gazing into the water to see her wavering reflection.

Tahno brushed off a rock a few feet from Korra and sat down. "You've made your share of mistakes when it comes to the politicians," he agreed. "You're not much better with the media, although you're improving marginally."

It wasn't what Korra wanted to hear. A flame of anger flared up in her breast, but it sputtered as she struggled to mentally refute the point he made. "Gee, thanks," she muttered. She sat on the mossy grass and drew her knees up to her chest, turning so that Tahno couldn't see up her skirt.

They sat silently, Tahno gazing about the garden and Korra staring down into the stream. Once again, Korra couldn't understand what had gone wrong. Just when things were starting to get interesting again, he had to be an insulting jerk and shut down the all the fun. It had happened one too many times tonight. Korra figured it must be a signal that she needed to finish up this evening and go home.

Just as she was getting ready to stand up, a tiny glow shone in the corner of her eye. She turned see what it was.

"A butterfly spirit!" Korra exclaimed excitedly. The little being meandered through the air and alighted on the hem of Korra's dress. It rested, slowly pumping its neon wings, its body flickering.

"A butter-firefly, actually," Tahno corrected pleasantly. "He's been buzzing around you for a while." Tahno scooted off the rock and sat beside her to get a better look at the creature.

Korra lifted her head to respond to Tahno, but before she could say anything she glimpsed dozens, maybe hundreds of the tiny spirits floating through the air, glowing pink and green amongst the vines hanging down from the high tree branches. Her eyes widened in surprise and happiness. Another spirit landed on her knee, next to the first one.

"You must smell like a swamp lily to them," Tahno joked.

Korra wasn't sure if that was a compliment or not. It didn't sound like one.

Tahno must have noted the expression on her face, because he said conciliatorily, "Swamp lilies have a very sweet scent, in case you were wondering."

Korra nodded in appreciation for the confirmation. She broke eye contact with him and looked closely at the spirits that rested on her dress. Their wingspans weren't more than an inch or two across, but their translucent wings had intricate patterns that changed colors. Every so often, the spirits' bodies would light up with a bright white light, which eventually faded back into the colored neon glow. Korra couldn't remember seeing anything like them, not even when she had wandered through the spirit world. Then, as quickly as they had landed, the spirits flitted off of Korra. She sighed in disappointment.

Tahno cleared his throat. "These spirits weren't here in the garden before you opened the portals. Sometimes I could see one or two back home, on nights with a new moon. But now we have our own little colony here in the city, hundreds of miles from the nearest real swamp." He gazed up at the crevice of sky above them, as if weighing whether or not to say anything further. "Hey," he said, catching Korra's eye. "I'm glad you left the portals open. A lot of people were scared about it what would happen, and I wasn't sure it was a good idea either. But when I see how this place looks now, I know you made the right decision."

Korra felt flushed, as if something had pulled the release cord on a a tight knot deep in her abdomen. It might have been all the alcohol she had drunk over the course of the evening, or it might been her chi-points responding to the spiritual energy swirling around them. Or it might have been that Tahno's hand was now resting on hers, warm and inviting, and was slowly pulling her closer to him -

An unearthly squawk and a crash from above startled them and every other creature in their vicinity, and Korra and Tahno scrambled up in confusion. Fur and feathers rained down on them and two large creatures cannonballed into the stream, sending roostertail splashes of murky water up in every direction, soaking the unfortunate humans who failed to get out of the way in time. The animals chased each other out of the water and up the opposite embankment, screeching through the underbrush. The furor faded, and the frog-crickets, convinced it was safe again, resumed chirping.

"What the hell was that?!" Korra screamed indignantly, hopping up and wiping the water off her face. Her heart still thumped inside her chest from the shock, and perhaps from wondering what might have happened next if she and Tahno hadn't been interrupted.

Tahno appeared as sodden and undignified as Korra felt. "Ah, well, some of my countrymen thought that the garden wasn't 'swampy' enough, so they reintroduced the possum chicken here, forgetting how territorial they can can be," he explained.

Tahno stood up and bent the water off himself, then helped Korra stand up and whipped the water off her as well. Now that he was dry, his bangs poofed out in weird directions and his eyeliner dripped down one of his cheeks, reminding Korra of a sad clown. Korra felt her hair and realized, embarrassed, that she couldn't be looking much better than he did at this point.

Tahno blew the bangs out of his face, which only poofed them up into a bigger, messier pompadour. He clenched his jaw, clearly annoyed. "I think we better call it a night. Let me walk you back to your car."

"Yeah, we better get home before the paparazzi take pictures of us looking like this," Korra groused.

Without further conversation, they retraced their steps along the path and back to the circular garden entrance, then bent the reflecting pool water to take them back down to the ground floor. As they walked down the dark hallway and back onto the street, Korra struggled to find something to say. Tahno seemed uninterested in filling the silence.

They arrived at the limousine, and Korra could see that her driver had slumped down in his seat, catching a few winks of sleep while he waited for her. Tahno finally spoke, quietly, and Korra strained to hear. "I wasn't lying on the radio when I said that you changed my mind about using my bending honestly. But nobody was going to believe me until you helped me prove it."

In spite of her plans to slink out of here without having to look Tahno in the eye for the rest of the evening, Korra couldn't help but stare at him after he made the admission. She wasn't sure how to respond, so she said the first thing that came to mind. "Glad to hear that you were only lying about the part where you said you were in love with me."

As soon as the words came out of her mouth, she wished she could take them back. Here he was, finally being honest and non-sarcastic with her, and she had to throw it back in his face with a mean joke? She considered bending a hole in the ground to swallow her up so she wouldn't have to face her embarrassment.

Tahno scrutinized Korra's face, making Korra shift uncomfortably. "I may have exaggerated my 'feelings,'" he shrugged, exchanging his own lame joke with hers.

Korra bit her lip, the corners of her mouth turning up. She didn't trust herself to say anything else. She spun around toward the car and tried the door handle.

"But I have enjoyed our evening together."

It wasn't what Korra thought he would say, now or ever about her. Korra looked over her shoulder and saw him smirking at her, his crazy hair flipping around in the light breeze. He slouched where he stood, his wrinkled collar turned up and and his hands in the pockets of his dirty dress pants. Somewhere between the garden and the car, the eyeliner tear on his cheek had gotten smudged across the entire side of his face. In spite of it, he managed to appear just as confident as ever.

"So have I," she replied. On a whim, she winked at him and smiled, then yanked open the car door and hopped inside, her cheeks burning. The driver woke up and started the car, and as they pulled away from the curb, she willed herself not to look out the window to see how Tahno had responded. But after a few moments she couldn't resist. She hoped the glare from the streetlights on the glass would conceal her looking back at him. But when she turned around, she saw him tilt his chin up in swaggering acknowledgement and lift his hand in a single, casual, cocky wave. Damn him.

* * *

A/N: Was going to include this with a bigger update, but...I didn't want to. Next chapter: Korra and Tahno try to sort out what that was all about. And somebody from the triads might have a thing or two to say too.


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